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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27129130">snow-bound companions</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/qqhimmel/pseuds/qqhimmel'>qqhimmel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Tales of Innocence, Tales of Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>catboy is forced to deal with angry teenager, hot girl with eyepatch, kongwai is kind of a softie but not really, this was kind of rushed but I feel like there needed to be more tales of innocence content out there, tw for blood and mild violence/injury</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:29:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,306</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27129130</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/qqhimmel/pseuds/qqhimmel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>QQ gets hurt while fighting, and Kongwai is forced to make sure that she doesn't die, while albeit not in his best interest.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>snow-bound companions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The evening was one which under normal circumstances, would have been one blessed with silence and tranquility. From the sky had fallen a light breath of snow, dusting the ground and coating it with a layer of white. This delicate peace had been disturbed, however, by the cries of beasts which had emerged from the night itself. Travellers, a party of two on their lonesome, had been surrounded by these beasts, struggling side by side to ward off the monsters which threatened them.</p><p>First of this duo was a dark-haired male whose face was one of youth, carrying a certain elegant demeanor about him. He was enshrouded in a red cloak, wielding not a blade, but instead a book bearing a faded leather cover. As his side was a younger woman, who clutched in her hands a spear carrying two blades. Her darker skin was notably painted with scars of a lighter tone which covered every visible part of her body. She had the attire and appearance of one hardened to battle, from the way she carried herself to the markings which were a reminder of fights long passed.</p><p>A grueling cry echoed from one of the assaulting beasts as the spear-wielding girl drove her weapon into its chest with as much force as she could muster. Outstretched claws from the monster lashed out in a final moment of revenge, leaving deep lacerations in its opponent’s exposed torso. While the beast felled to the ground moments later, slain by the girl who it had opposed, the wounds it had left behind were concerningly deep. However, in spite of the blood which dripped down her torso, the young woman refused to give in so easily.</p><p>“QQ, can you still fight?” her companion called out to her, a slight note of concern ringing clear in his voice. Following his query, a pair of blades made from light erupted from where his hand had directed, felling another beast in an instant. His eyes did not turn to check on the other’s condition, though he could tell from her ragged breathing that she was struggling to keep up.</p><p>“QQ is… not giving up! Monsters will dead a becoming!” she managed to reply through clenched teeth. Her weapon tore into another monster before she sent it flying backwards with a sharp kick from her armored boots. This beast was quickly replaced by another, whose claws were outstretched as it dove towards her at a terrifying speed. A finishing blow managed to strike it, but not before its claws met their mark, tearing towards her chest with all of its remaining might. </p><p>The night air was shattered by a piercing scream as the beast’s claws made contact, one which sent a chill down the spine of the young woman’s companion. Though the monster which had injured her lay slain at her feet, the injuries which she now clutched had stained her olive-colored gloves with crimson. Blood dripped through her fingers and down her torso, painting the snow below her as she doubled over. </p><p>“Hey! Pull yourself together!” though the man beside her gave a call of worry, his words fell to empty ears. He could not offer assistance to her, as the monsters which circled them relentlessly remained a bigger threat, leaving him only able to watch as his companion struggled to remain upright.</p><p>The girl’s will to fight had never given out, but her body was close to doing such, as the spear which she clutched slipped through her fingers and fell to the snow beneath her. Her breathing was ragged and quick, the soldier struggling to draw breaths as black spots threatened to consume the vision of her one remaining eye. At first, she dug her heels into the ground, remaining eye squinting as the girl tried her best to keep herself together. While the world spun around her and she struggled to keep her footing, the cries of battle faded to nothing more than muted sounds in the distance. Soon, however, and the pain from her injury had begun to fade, as well as the sensations of cold, and any thoughts she had been desperately clinging to. Overwhelmed by the pain from her injuries, she pitched forwards, collapsing in the snow at the feet of her companion without a single sound.</p><p>“QQ, get up!” the male called down to her, frustration evident in his voice as he attempted to rouse her with a less than gentle nudge from his foot. However, the young woman was completely unresponsive, out cold as she lay in the snow next to her fallen weapon.</p><p>More blades erupted from the air as the companion of the felled girl attempted to push back the beasts. Though he only managed to strike a few of them, it had become apparent by the monster’s dwindling numbers that not much longer remained before they would all be slain by the male, even if his companion was unconscious. The creatures who remained quickly fled, leaving behind the ones who had been slain lying dead in the snow.</p><p>Dark eyes glanced down to the girl who remained limp on the ground, weapon lying forgotten at her side. The male crouched down at her side, careful hands rolling her to the side so that she would no longer be left face down on the ground. Beneath her, the snow had been stained from her blood, a mingling mix of both covering her clothes and chest. Careful hands held her still as her companion examined her injuries, looking for something he could slow the bleeding with.</p><p>The male had never seen her in such a state before, as the girl was usually one to conceal her own weaknesses no matter the gravity of them. This was especially the case with himself, as it was apparent that she held no trust in them due to the animosity that their respective nations carried towards one another. While the temptation lingered that he could simply leave the girl as she was to die, it would have been a dishonorable victory over someone as prideful as herself. In any case, the injuries she bore were unlikely to be fatal unless not properly treated, so leaving her behind would mean risking she return with an even stronger grudge.</p><p>Not wishing to dirty his own clothes, the dark-haired male instead tugged free the sash from around the girl’s neck which she wore like a scarf, unwinding it before tearing the fabric into two long strips. Each of these he wound around her torso as if they were makeshift bandages, yellow cloth already stained red from her injuries. She made not a sound spare for her breaths, which were now slow, but still struggling.</p><p>Once he had finished bandaging her wounds, the girl’s companion took a moment to make sure that she had not been injured elsewhere. It seemed as if most of her wounds were centered around her torso, however, in the area where he had already bandaged. Despite the fact that the fabric he had used to slow her bleeding was not extremely thick, her blood had not soaked through it yet, leading him to believe that the extent of her injuries was not as grave as he had initially assumed.</p><p>The eyes of the older male lingered not on her injuries for long, however. His attention was drawn towards the one thing that she kept carefully concealed: the eyepatch which covered her left eye. It was one of the greatest mysteries about the girl, aside from her origins and true name, and the other male couldn’t help but admit that he was curious. She had never allowed him this close before, and the chances that she would willingly reveal any sort of information about herself to him were slim to none. Now, however, curious hands moved to brush the snow from her face, tugging at the eyepatch and pulling it free. If she were awake now, she likely would have attempted to skewer him with her spear by now, a thought which the male amusedly pictured while careful not to lose the patch in risk of such an occurrence.</p><p>There was a moment’s pause as the dark-haired male took in his findings from beneath the eyepatch, an expression of an emotion unreadable visible on his face. Merely seconds later and he had replaced the eyepatch just as it had been, attention returning to her injuries. He’d need to take her somewhere to rest, lest she be unable to finish the journey back. In a swift decision, the man pulled a knife from his robe, using it to sever the cloak that was attached at his shoulders. This cloak he wrapped around the shoulders of the fallen girl, hoping to shelter her from the cold at least somewhat. She was surprisingly light as he scooped her up in his arms, her head lolling against his chest softly. In some fashion, her hair had managed to become untied, the red ribbon she usually sported nowhere to be found. Instead, white strands fell into her face and around her shoulders, still curly from having been pulled up for so long. The older male’s expression was unusually soft as he looked down to his sleeping companion, casting one final glance at the bloodied snow before continuing on his way.</p>
<hr/><p>It was a time of several hours later before the girl slowly stirred, eyelid fluttering as she gave a small groan. One amber-colored eye hazily tried to make sense of her surroundings, while she made an attempt to push herself upright. It was then that she noticed the cape around her shoulders, sheltering her from the soft snow around her. The girl’s injuries had been wrapped up, and while they still stung- making movement difficult- it was clear that someone had taken care of her after she had fallen.</p><p>“Hey, QQ. Are you feeling better?” a familiar voice sounded from nearby, causing her to turn around suddenly. Kongwai was sitting in the snow nearby, a book propped up in his lap, attention turned to her.</p><p>“Kongwai… here is… where?” her words were jumbled and slurred together.</p><p>A light laugh came from the older male, who quickly set his book to the side in order to approach his companion. While she flinched away from him at first, it was clear she was still in no state to be moving around too much. Instead, she cast a glare towards the other as he sat down besides her.</p><p>“We’re a little ways away from where you collapsed- I thought it wise for us to seek some sort of shelter,” the male eventually replied, offering out a hand to her. “Is it alright if I give a quick check to your injuries to make sure they haven’t gotten worse?”</p><p>While the girl’s reaction was one of distrust, she knew that she was in no state to say otherwise, so she regretfully complied with his request.</p><p>Quite frankly, Kongwai did not care about whether or not his companion was in a proper state to continue on their journey, but knew that neglecting to treat her wounds would only result in her slowing him down. Steady hands unwound the sash from around her torso, setting the stained fabric to the side. While the young woman winced, she spoke not a word, averting her gaze from the sight. Truthfully, from her own pride, she was more ashamed that she had allowed the male to touch her than she was ashamed of the injuries. Still, if she wanted to return home, there were not many other options remaining for her.</p><p>“Your wounds don’t look as serious as I would have assumed them to be,” the dark-haired male spoke up again. “-considering you collapsed to the ground in a quite dramatic fashion, and were unconscious for so long. In any case, I think you’re going to be fine, at least up until the point when I no longer need to be concerned for you.”</p><p>That was right. Soon, the two of them would be separated, and she wouldn’t have to see his disgraceful face unless they happened to meet on the battlefield. The young woman was admittedly looking forwards to such a day, should it ever come, so that she could make it apparent how she’d really felt about him after having to put up with him during their travels together. She did not voice these sentiments out loud, however, instead simply giving a “hmph” in response to the male’s words.</p><p>“Can you stand? If not, I don’t mind dragging you by your ankles the rest of the way.” the male remarked with a light laugh, earning a glare from the girl as he replaced the makeshift bandages. </p><p>“QQ is fine! Will be going. Kongwai will not fine if keeping talking,” her response was notably less light-hearted than her companion’s joking tone.</p><p>And with that, the two of them headed off in the direction of the gate which had brought them to that world originally, this time careful to avoid the sight of any monsters which might have been nearby. While the younger girl was still afflicted with her injury, she made a point to not let this weakness show around the other, still remaining distrustful of him despite the fact that he had gone out of his way to rescue her. The dark-haired male never once mentioned to his companion his findings beneath her covered eye, not wanting to lose one of his limbs in the process. Instead, he kept this knowledge a careful secret, unknowingly shared between the two of them. While their journey in the world of innocent bonds had come to its conclusion, it was certain that the duo would meet again once they had returned to their home world, and likely under less pleasant circumstances.</p>
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